Candace Scott Ulysses S. Grant Homepage Ulysses Grant in uniform, in the field

Ulysses S. Grant, the 18th president of the United States, was an underappreciated giant of history. He was the principal author of the Union's victory in America's Civil War, a feat that emancipated millions from slavery and ensured the survival of the United States. To that point, perhaps no one in the history of the Western world held as much practical power or the fear and respect of enemies while being on the right side of human rights.

As president, Grant supported American blacks in their struggle to move from slavery to full equality under the law, a transformation unparalleled in U.S. history. He tenaciously supported stringent measures to protect the rights of freed slaves in the South, such as the 15th Amendment, and the Enforcement Acts. In foreign policy, Grant was a pioneer who hammered out the Alabama Claims settlement that averted war with Great Britain and established the principle of international arbitration.

Beyond the myth, born on the political stump, that Grant's administration was distinguished by corruption, is the reality: Grant served with great determination and his integrity intact. Among his many accomplishments, while serving in a particularly corrupt period in American history: Grant established the nation's first civil service commission, a forerunner of the eventual merit system. He also supported the prosecution of 192 officials for engaging in misconduct.

Grant, when all is said and done, was the quintessential everyman who rose from obscurity on his personal merits, approaching titanic challenges with a modest demeanor and calm competence.

Subsequent generations with other agendas largely obscured the principle of human dignity to which he was committed. But historians are rediscovering Grant's monumental legacy. —Scott Berman

READ MORE ABOUT ULYSSES S. GRANT AND THE IRISH:

• Grant in Ireland, Part 1: Ulysses S. Grant Tests the Emerald Waters
• Grant in Ireland, Part 2: A Rebuff From Cork
• Grant in Ireland, Part 3: Farewell to Ireland, Forever
• The Irish Fight for Grant at Cold Harbor
• Grant's Grandfather Called Tyrone Home
• Scrappy Phil Sheridan: Grant's Good-to-Go Commander
• Get a "Grant and the Irish" Commemorative Item

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